Griz Gifford & Company

Thank you Griz! The band was a perfect send off for my cousins funeral today. The band was on time, played wonderfully and exceeded our expectations.

Wonderful Group of Musicians. Played well together, sounded great, knowledgeable with some history and to finish the night..strolled thru the crowd playing! Great time had by all!

Life ceremony for a good man. Just needed some N.O jazz. Griz and the band were tight and the folks were dancing in no time. Thx again

Band was great, on time, sounded great, and easy to work with.

Griz and his bandmates were wonderful! I hired them to surprise my Louisianan husband at our wedding. They exceeded expectations and guests loved them! They also worked in a tight space and were kind and gracious. Much thanks!! We highly recommend them for your wedding! They helped create a joyful and festive atmosphere that lasted into the night.

Griz Gifford & Company played at a memorial service for a dear friend. They learned "The Rainbow Connection" to tie in to the last song of the service, a song they did not previously known. It made a big impact on our friends and the family of our dear departed. They provided the perfect atmosphere to the end of this solemn yet joyous event as we remembered our friend. Many people told me it was exactly what our friend would have wanted. Thanks to the group for a memorable experience.

Griz & Company traveled a long way for our event and arrived gracious, compassionate, and prepared. Thank you for creating a memorable moment for our father and more importantly our mother. Several times she turned to me and said, "This is so cool!" We even had one of those unpredictable live music moments and Griz & Company didn't miss a beat. Thank you from all of our family and community. It was something special and that's exactly what we wanted.

Griz and Company's Dixieland Band put on quite a jam session Wednesday night at RPP. They were led by trombonist Griz Gifford, who has played everywhere from Broadway to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus and presidential inaugural balls. But his main thing is the traditional music of New Orleans. He was backed up by Leo Maxey on trumpet, Rob White on tuba and Leon Alexander on drums.

These dudes are cool cats! They sailed through a series of mostly familiar pieces such as "Back Home in Indiana," "The Sheikh of Araby," "Avalon," and "When You're Smiling." They took turns doing solos within the numbers to the delight of the audience. I like drum solos and Alexander shone on those. He also gave a lengthy talk on the origin of Dixieland through multiple cultures.

They wound down with "Just a Closer Walk With Thee," traditional funeral music in New Orleans, and the mandatory "When the Saints Go Marching in," for which they marched around the venue, trailed by several residents.

I vote for inviting them back -- ya dig? ...Dave Hurst

Griz Gifford & Company did a great job. I hired them as a surprise for my wife's 50th Birthday party. The planning went well as there was steady communication and the event was spectacular. They marched in and played some wonderful music. I would highly recommend Griz Gifford & Company for your next event. Thanks!

Much appreciation to Griz and gang for the mini second line parade they put on at our office for Mardi Gras. Griz communicated with me multiple times leading up to the event and I appreciated that they all 4 members of the band showed up early. Our office is still talking today about how great they were! Would book them again in a heartbeat.

I coordinated a corporate holiday party themed for Mardi Gras. Griz and his band were amazing. They really set the tone and made the atmosphere perfect. Griz was easy to work with and super responsive. I highly recommend him and his fellow musicians!

We hired this band to play during our wedding and to do a 2nd line parade to the reception! We had a blast! Our guests loved the parade and so did we!!! This band won’t disappoint!

We hired Griz Gifford and Company for a N.O. funeral procession for a dear N.O. loving friend. We had to keep making adjustments up to the final hour of the memorial and Griz worked with us the whole way, very easy to work with. Great sound, very professional. Hire these guys!

Working with Griz was excellent from the beginning to the end. He responded quickly and professionally, gave me exactly what I asked for, and the music was great.

I booked Griz Gifford & Company for a funeral this past April. Perhaps it's not the typical thing people book bands for, but it was the wish of the person who died, that there be a New Orleans style parade and music after the memorial service. This request ended up being such a gift for everyone in attendance. It was a touching, sad, uplifting and even joyous event. I can't even describe how beautiful this day was. I attribute much of the beauty of this day to Griz Gifford & Company.

They replied quickly and with professionalism. They were patient with me as I worked out details with the family of the deceased. They took all of our requests in stride. Griz even brought some beaded necklaces to give to guests who wanted to dance. The entire band was really stellar. They got simple instructions once at the location, but when to begin playing music immediately after the service is also really delicate. They handled the moment with such care, love and energy. It was one of the most moving moments. We were laughing and crying and dancing around the backyard following the parade. Truly a memorable moment.

Griz & Co was pretty low maintenance for us, as we were having the service outside in the backyard. One anecdote that let's you know Griz is not only a great musician but an awesome guy; a family member of the deceased played a song during the service and the wind started blowing the music away. Griz, appeared out of nowhere it seemed, to let him borrow his clips to keep the music in place on the music stand. Nobody asked him to do it, but it was SO appreciated and right on time. The band was quite present but also very unassuming. They just got it. That's the part we couldn't count on when hiring a band. You just never know, but man, we were lucky to find one of the best bands out there.

The music was great. There was dancing immediately after the memorial service and then people mostly just ate and talked together. The mood was a joyous one. The kids in attendance and some adults decided to take the dance floor at many points throughout the day. The kids loved the music too. I wish I'd recorded some of their performance. The videos I've seen online don't actually do Griz & Company justice. The videos are good, but they are even better.

I was hoping to be succinct in this review, but it's impossible. It was a day I'll never forget and I'm just so thankful. BOOK THIS BAND!!!